Video shows Vancouver police shoot man with beanbag gun
Community activist says police could have de-escalated the situation instead
WARNING: This story contains distressing details.
A video shared on social media Thursday afternoon shows Vancouver police in the Downtown Eastside surround a manwho falls to the ground after shots ring out. Moments later, a dog appearsto be attacking the man.
In a statement to CBC Thursday evening, the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) said officers used a beanbag gun onthe suspect, andthat they used "lawful, measured, and appropriate use of force."
They said officers saw the man standing near the entrance to the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) building on East Hastings Street in the Downtown Eastside, and tried to arrest him for an unrelated crime.
"The man in this video is a high-risk and violent offender with a history of armed robberies, assaulting police, and drug trafficking," reads the statement, which goes on to say the man assaulted a VPD officer in March2021.
Cait Spence, community organizer with Our Streets a VANDUinitiative says she witnessedwhat happened and that police could have de-escalated the situation.
WATCH | Video shows Vancouver police shoot man using beanbag gun:
She says shehappened to be meeting with othercommunity advocates across the street from where the incident took place.
"First I saw about seven or so police officers trying to detain someone who was in the back of a cab," she told CBC in an interview.
"The person who they were attempting to detain left the cab ... put his hands up, put his hands on the cab and was showing signs of surrender."
She says the man wasn't given immediate access to medical care.
Police have previously described beanbag shotguns"a safe and effective less-lethal tool" and "used as an alternative to lethal force and can be deployed against a person who is acting violently or displaying assaultive behaviour."
Dog deployed to 'gain control': police
In their statement, VPDsaidthe man got into a taxi and ordered the cabbie to drive, allegedly threatening to kill the driver if he stopped.
They said they forced the taxito a stop near Gore and Keefer Streets, where the cab driver fled.
The suspectstayed in the cab,then stepped out and confronted officers. They said the suspectdid not comply with orders to lay on the ground.
In the video, the man can be heard telling police to shoot him.
Police saidan officer shot the suspect using a beanbag gun when the suspect "turned away and motioned back toward the rear door of the taxi.
According to police, the man resisted arrest after falling to the ground, anda police dog was released "to gain full control so the man could be handcuffed."
LISTEN | VPD's Sgt. Steve Addison defends officer's actions:
Police saidthe suspect, who remains in custody,was treated for thedog bites.
On Friday, VPD Sgt. Steve Addison told CBC'sOn the Coastthe suspect had been charged with two counts of uttering threats and "the matter is before the courts."
The incident is the latest in a number of violent altercations involving Vancouver police. In August, 42-year-old Ojibway man Chris Amyottediedafter police shot him with beanbag rounds.
Police presence 'makes people afraid: advocate
As part of her work with Our Streets, Spence hasbeen involved inacampaign, partneringwith the City of Vancouver to empowerpeople living in tents on the Downtown Eastside to take care of their neighbours and keep each other safe.
She says regularly seeing violent arrests and open useof force by police makes everyone in theneighbourhood feel uncomfortable.
"The way that people talk about it is, 'Any interaction with a cop can lead to that,'" she said.
"It makes people afraid and it lets people know that this neighbourhood is ultimately run by the police."
Spence says she's gotten into the habit of filming police when she sees a situation involving officers that looks like it's starting to escalate.
She says she felt police had an opportunity to de-escalate the incident on Thursdaywhen the man had his hands in the air, and that she took out her phone to record when she saw more officers arriveon the scene.
Sgt. Addison disagreed, saying the suspect was known by police to have a history of violence and non-compliance, and was resisting arrest.
"Officers used an appropriate level of force," he said.
Police say British Columbia's Independent Investigation Office (IIO), which is called to investigate any police interaction that leads to death or serious harm, will be notified.
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